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101+ Things to do in Utah | UPDATED

11.10.2017

UPDATE: I decided it was about time I update my grand Utah To Do List. A few of the things on my previous version have since closed and I also wanted to add a few new favorites to the list. So here you go!

Utah is a great place. There are fun downtowns, great small-towns, delicious restaurants, and tons of fun hikes and beautiful lakes. Whether you're a total foodie, an outdoor enthusiast, or someone who loves to experience new things, there is something on this list for you! I have worked really hard to compile this very thorough list of things to do all over the state of Utah. This project was fun because I have personally been to every single place on this list. If you're at a loss for something to do, look no further!

Let's get started with some of the Outdoor stuff you can do in Utah. We love being outside, and if you do too, you'll love these next few things on my list.

OUTDOOR THINGS TO DO IN UTAH :

Red Pine Lake - A more lengthy hike, 6.5 miles to Lower Red Pine Lake, can be found up Little Cottonwood Canyon, starting at the White Pine Trailhead. You pass creeks and waterfalls along the way, with great views of the whole canyon.

Cecret Lake - A beautiful hike to do in late Summer, when the wild flowers are in full bloom. This hike will take you 1 mile to a pretty lake. The trailhead is 11 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon, just past the Alta Ski Resort. Plus, you're almost guaranteed to see a Moose.

Antelope Island - It took me a while to get over to Antelope Island, but we sure had a fun time when we did. Note: There are the MOST beautiful sunsets in the summer. Also Note: They have the MOST horrible, terrifying spiders in the summer. Just a warning. Also, lots of buffalo, which are so fun to watch. (They should have just named it Buffalo Island.)

Lower Calf Creek Falls - 6 mile (round trip) hike to this beautiful waterfall, with this awesome little overflow area which was so fun (AND FREEZING) for swimming after the long hike.

Capitol Reef National Park - You guys, National Parks are National Parks for a reason. They are all unique and spectacular landscapes, and this one is no exception. If you go in the summer, make sure you get a pie from one of the shops made from fruit from one of the many orchards on the park.

Zion National Park - A total must if you have the time. This National Park is worth the drive to Southern Utah. A few of our favorite hikes are the Narrows, and Emerald Pools.

Bryce Canyon National Park - We really enjoyed a little weekend getaway at Bryce and our girls did great on the Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden trail hike. And I loved seeing Thor's Hammer. (Pictured above)

Canyonlands - Seriously stunning. We really enjoy going on a bunch of smaller hikes each time we're there. There's something cool about knowing that you did 5 separate hikes in all different parts of the park in one day.

Arches (and here too) - Arches National Park is one of those places, just like Canyonlands, where everywhere you look, you are completely in awe of the beauty around you. Even if you are crammed on time, I would highly recommend the quick (3 mile roundtrip) hike up to Delicate Arch (pictured above and on most Utah license plates).

Donut Falls - 9 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, you will find this fun hike. A total of 3.5 miles, with a donut shaped waterfall at the end.

Little Cottonwood Canyon (and here) - All of the canyons in Utah are great, this one included. Great snow in the winter with a fun resort, Snowbird. If you're a skier though, you'll like Alta better. Red Pine Lake, and Cecret Lake are two of our favorite hikes up this canyon (see below).

Silver Lake - Right at the base of Brighton, this lake/wetland has a fun boardwalk to explore the Ecosystem.

Bear Lake Marina - With the most beautiful blue water you'll find in the continental US, you don't want to miss out on a trip up to Bear Lake. Head over to the Marina and check out some of the neat sailboats.

Bear Lake North Shore Beach Park - This place is awesome! It is the coolest beach for kids. I can't believe it took me as long as it did to find out about this. Look how far out those people are in the photo, and how the water is only up to their knees. Heavenly beach for kids.

Wind Caves - Located about 5 miles up Logan Canyon, this almost 4 mile hike (roundtrip) is worth the workout. These awesome cave formations are awe inspiring.

Sundance (pictures here and also full moon lift) - A lovely, quant ski resort 13 miles northeast of Provo, up the Provo Canyon. Beautiful year round, especially in the winter (pictured above) and the fall.

Alpine Loop - The Alpine Loop goes from Provo Canyon to American Fork Canyon, and if you get the chance make sure you do this drive sometime in the Fall to admire the absolutely stunning fall colors and millions of Aspen Trees.

Y Mountain - Another Provo staple, head to Y Mountain for a fun hike with GREAT views of Provo and Utah Lake.

Moab (also here and here) - Moab is a great place. I love driving through Main Street and looking at all of the cute restaurants and shops, but of course the best parts are the National Parks/hikes/trails that can be found all around it. Jeeping is also a total blast!

Scofield Reservoir - Up Spanish Fork Canyon, down Highway 6 and pretty close to Price, you will find this Reservoir. This is a great place for fishing.

Strawberry Reservoir - This is a huge reservoir, and a great place for Ice Fishing. It is very beautiful, plus if you're lucky, you get to stop at Dairy Keen on the way home.

Jordanelle State Park - Just outside Park City, people love to boat and jet ski on Jordanelle. Great campgrounds with real bathrooms.

Smith and Morehouse - This is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever visited in Utah. It is nestled in the trees of the Uintas, with water from the Weber River.

The Uintas (also here and here) - The Uintas have the best backpacking to mountain lakes. You can seriously hike 2 miles and pass a dozen different lakes. If you're not into backpacking you could also drive up to one of the hundreds of different campgrounds for a picnic and short hike.

Adam's Canyon Waterfall - Nestled in the very back of Adam's Canyon, this waterfall is a treat to see at the end of your hike. This hike is very unique because it seems like you start in the dessert and end up in a forrest.

SEASONAL THINGS TO DO IN UTAH:

Shooting Star RV Resort (Airstream Resort) - This place was AWESOME! It's a "campsite" just outside of Escalante with a bunch of different Airstreams you can rent for a few nights. They also have the cutest drive-in theater where they play old movies a few nights a week. It's FABULOUS!

Cherry Blossoms at the Utah State Capitol - I have a small huge obsession with cherry blossoms, so I relish in these beautiful blossoms all around the State Capitol in the spring. I think it's even more special knowing they're only around for a few short days/weeks. Gotta catch them before they disappear!

Festival of Colors - You have to go, at least once, to this unique Springtime celebration at the Hari Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. Hundreds of people throwing lots of colored chalk. It's a very fun celebration of new life and spring time. Tip: Make sure to bring some kind of glasses and of course a white shirt.

Hill Field Air Show - Once a summer the Thunderbirds come to Hill Air Force Base and show off all of their sweet tricks! It is REALLY cool. You wont believe some of the tricks these guys can do. It's amazing.

State Fair - At the end of each Summer you must go to the state fair and eat funnel cake, and deep fried oreos and snickers, and maybe hit up the Rodeo, or just walk around and look at all of the pigs and sheep. And those Dairy Cows. They are huge.

Taylorsville Dayzz (and here) - All of the little town festivals in Utah are fun. We have been to the Taylorsville Dayzz concert and fireworks show a few times, which is generally a couple weeks before the 4th of July and a great way to get you in the mood for Summer and more fireworks and America!

Midway Ice Castles - This one is definitely a MUST DO! The tickets are pretty pricey, but I think it's worth it to see that beautiful ice at least once. Wander around all of the ice formations and through all of the tunnels in the gorgeous castle. My girls loved the slides made of ice.

Draper Tree of Life - This one is free so there's nothing stopping you from going to check out this awesome tree. It is at Draper Park and there are so many lights on this tree it's like daytime down right in front of it. It's really magical.

Festival of Trees - A fundraiser for Primary Children's Hospital, this is truly a wonderful way to get you into the Christmas Spirit. Looking at hundreds of beautifully decorated Christmas Trees, and Gingerbread houses, is bound to do the trick. And I happen to have it on good authority, Santa is usually there.

Ogden Christmas Village - In Downtown Ogden every Christmas they display a charming little array of small houses decorated inside and out. It's usually worth a visit.

Hot Air Balloon Festival - The Provo Freedom Festival has been my 4th of July family tradition for many, many years. One of my favorite events is definitely the Hot Air Balloon Festival. I'll do almost anything to be near hot air balloons.

Stadium of Fire - The biggest event of the Provo Freedom Festival is the Stadium of Fire. There is always great entertainment, and if you ask me the best firework show in Utah.

Ogden Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival - I am a sucker for all things Hot Air Balloons so we had to venture up to see this festival in Eden. I always think waking up early is worth it if there is Hot Air Balloons involved but I might be crazy.

Garnder Village Witch Fest - This has become another little tradition we've started in October. We like to head to Gardner Village to check out all of their witches. They go all out and it's pretty fabulous.

Black Island Farms - We loved playing on all of their hay slides, and checking out the animals, and of course the hayride to the pumpkin patch made us all feel pretty festive! I loved picking out my own pumpkin and then having them come over and cut it off the vine for me.TASTY RESTAURANTS IN UTAH:

Hires Big H | Salt Lake, Midvale, West Valley - Hires is the best. Get a Hires Big H Combo with a frosted mug of their homemade rootbeer. MMm!

Red Iguana (and here) | Salt Lake City - Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Red Iguana is a Salt Lake must. They are famous for their Mole, but the whole menu looks so tasty I have yet to actually try some.

Lonestar Taqueria | Cottonwood Heights - Everything on their menu is delicious, and I've tried almost all of it. They are famous for their fish tacos, but my favorite is their carne asada burrito.

Ruby Snap - Maybe my favorite place in Utah. Seriously. It's THAT good. They are very generous with their samples and they do monthly specials that are always worth a taste.

Nielsen's Frozen Custard | Bountiful, Layton - Another favorite! If you haven't been to Nielsen's PLEASE get you butt over there. My favorite is a concrete with Cherry custard and brownie bites. It sort of tastes like Cherry Garcia, but BETTER!

Little Donuts | Park City - This is like a design your own donut shop and it's just as good as it sounds. Every time we go we end up ordering the whole store because they all look and taste so good.

Uinta Drive-in | Kamas - Take a drive up to the Uintas and Mirror Lake, but stop for some lunch at the Uinta Drive-In. I love these burgers, with their square buns. Oh and definitely get bacon on your burger.

Big Moe's | Price - If you're ever hungry and in Price, head over to Big Moe's. They have home-made basically everything: buns, burgers, and fries!

Dairy Delight | Tooele - Please take a trip out to Dairy Delight and get their Old Fashioned Burger, which I swear is as big as a plate. You should probably share it with a friend.

Road Island Diner | Oakley - This diner was manufactured in New Jersey and then driven across the country, where it landed in Oakley Utah. Crazy! We really enjoyed The Ultimate Pig Trough (huge banana split!).

Oakley Polar King | Oakley - And another Oakley Diner. The Polar King has some pretty good fries and shakes.

Blue Lemon - Delicious food, I personally like their sweet potato fries, but most everything on their menu is delicious.

Hatch Family Chocolate | Avenues Salt Lake City - Stop in for some hot chocolate or buy a few hand dipped chocolates to share. I'm also a fan of the chocolate covered banana.

The Sweet Tooth Fairy - Need a sugary-pick-me-up? Head into one of the 9 Utah locations. My Favorite is the Strawberry Shortcake, it has a chocolate covered strawberry on top! Plus, another cool fact, the founder of The Sweet Tooth Fairy won Cupcake Wars.

Schmidt's Pastry | South Jordan, Sugar House, Holladay, and Taylorsville - Stop in for a treat any day and you wont be sorry. And please eat an extra cookie for me.

Carl's Cafe | Cottonwood Heights - Carl's has a definite small town vibe in the big city. Delicious breakfast...and lunch, but really good breakfast.

Red Banjo | Park City - Fun environment (right on Main Street) and delicious food. A Park City must.

Main Street Pizza and Noodle | Park City - Yummy pizza, and even better bread sticks, or Garlic Knots as they are called there. SO filling and delicious. I literally had a dream about these the other night.

Doissant's at Dan's - Have you heard about the cronut? You can get some in Utah! But they call them doissants instead. You can find them at the grocery store Dan's, on Saturday mornings, usually before 11 or 12.

Cafe Rio - I can't talk about food in Utah without mentioning Cafe Rio, possibly, my all time favorite. I have dreams about their pork salad.

Marley's | Provo, Lindon - I love Marley's. I love them because they serve shoestring fries. And in my humble opinion, shoestring fries are the very best kind of fries.

African Restaurant | Salt Lake City - Jordan served his mission in Africa and this was the "fancy" food on their mission.

Cubby's | Provo, Lehi - My family likes to tell me that I am a french fry connoisseur, and I have to say that Cubby's has the most delicious sweet potato fries in the whole world. I also love their Tri-tip Salad, or Tri-tip Sandwich, both are great.

C&B Maddox | Layton - This place is great. They do have great chicken, but I'll admit that my favorite thing from C&B Maddox is definitely their Strawberry Pie. TO. DIE. FOR.

Bruges | Salt Lake City - If you like French Fries and Waffles (probably 2 of my top five favorite foods) you need to run over to Bruges immediately. Their liege waffles are delectable. And I can't forget to add that their Machine Gun Sandwich was featured on Man Vs. Food.

Waffle Love | Provo (store), otherwise Food Truck - The best waffle you will ever taste, I promise. These liege waffles are perfect with strawberries and cream. I love when I find this waffle truck with I'm out and about. It almost always requires a stop.

Taco Taco | Downtown Salt Lake - A great little Taco Joint, right across the street from The Leonardo. I personally would recommend their Carne Asada Tacos. Delicious!

Topper Bakery | Ogden - This little bakery is packed with delicious treats. Toppers makes the buns for a bunch of local restaurants so you know it's got to be good.

Farr Better Ice Cream | Ogden - An Ogden staple, a stop into Farr's is a must if you're spending any time around 25th Street (or even the temple, considering it's right across the street!)

Fiiz - I'm partial to Fiiz when it come to the soda shop crazy in Utah. I'm in love with their sugar cookies. The texture is my absolute favorite and the frosting is perfection. (Honestly, their sugar cookies are WAY better than Sodalicious or Swig.)MISCELLANEOUS THINGS TO DO IN UTAH:

Park City - Stop for a visit at the McPolin Farmstead or a walk down Main Street, Park City couldn't possibly let you down.

Alpine slide - Park City Mountain Resort has one of the longest Alpine Slides in the world. Alpine Slides are a really fun thing to do in the Summer. Ride the lift up to the top and get your scooter and then head over to the luge-like track!

Deer Valley - We went for the Freestyle Aerials for the Skiing World Cup, but this Resort is where many Olympic events were held, as well as where the rich and famous usually stay when they come and visit Utah.

Clark Planetarium - There are lots of fun exhibits at the Clark Planetarium, including one where you can pretend you are on the Moon or Mars. The highlight however, is their Hansen Dome Theater, where we saw a Sound and Light show (pictured above), with lots of really cool lights and lasers.

Hogle Zoo - You can't beat a trip to the Zoo. They recently opened the African Safari Exhibit, and you shouldn't miss the Polar Bear. He's my favorite.

Provo Farmer's Market - This farmer's market always has some great food trucks, lots of crafty booths, as well as some of the very freshest fruits and veggies you've ever tasted.

BYU Football Game - I'm a bit biased (Go Cougars!) but there's nothing that screams Fall more than a than a great football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. OR BYU Basketball Game - Theres always a rowdy student section, creating great enthusiasm for the whole crowd. Make sure to get there early, you don't want to miss the pre-game festivities.

Tracy Aviary - Like the zoo, but for birds! Make sure to check out Andy the 55 year old Condor with an 11 foot wingspan.

State Capital - Offering tours every hour from 9-5, Monday-Friday or self-guided tours whenever you want, this beautiful building is a fun slice of Utah History.

Salt Lake Masonic Temple - Fun venue for a concert, the auditorium is really neat. If you call ahead you can take a tour and see all of the unique Egyptian Architecture.

Utah Cultural Celebration Center - Neat artifacts on display as well as interesting exhibits (currently about immigrants). I'd recommend a visit, even just to see the above arch!

Bee's Game (and here) - This is as close as you'll get to the Major League in Utah. A baseball game at Smith Ballpark is a great Summer activity, especially since most games have fireworks afterward!

Hill Aerospace Museum - My grandpa was a pilot in the Air Force so this place is especially fun to visit for me, but even if you have no connection to the Air Force it's still worth a visit. They have a retired Air Force One, and also a plane that broke a number of speed records including New York to London in just under 2 hours.

Kaysville Theater - This is one of my favorite little gems. This place has some serious charm for a little dollar movie theater. It's worth a visit just for the theater reminders before the show starts (if you've been you'll know what I'm talking about...EWWWWW!).

Jazz Game (here) - If you're into sports, you should definitely go to a Jazz game at Energy Solutions Arena. And a plus (kind of), the tickets are usually really cheap (because the Jazz are usually not very good. Hah)!

25th Street in Ogden - There are so many fun restaurants on this street, but we also really like going to the farmer's markets on Saturday mornings in the summer. If you can't find anything you want at the farmer's market (which is unlikely) stop by The Bake Shop inside Grounds For Coffee and get a Strawberry Milk donut. They're divine!

Anything at the Capitol Theater - I love going to the Capitol Theater. I love the age and grandeur you can see around every turn. I especially love the crystal chandlers in the lobby and I feel like even the back row of the orchestra still feels really close to all of the action.

Cherry Hill | Kaysville - On the website they describe Cherry Hill as a water park, family fun center, and camping resort. We love going to the water park and have some friends who always go to Scary Hill every October. You have to go at least once to try it out.

Temple Square - Definitely a Utah must. Make sure to stop in the visitor's centers as well as the Joseph Smith Building. Also, if you can, a trip to Temple Square during Christmas is perfection.

Conference Center - An amazing one-of-a-kind auditorium, with the largest pipe organ in the world. This building also houses tons of wonderful original art.

Church Office Building - It is definitely worth a trip to the observation deck at The Church Office Building for these spectacular views of the Salt Lake Valley.